The ent (treant in later printings) was one of the first monsters introduced in the earliest edition of the game, in the Dungeons & Dragons "white box" set (1974), where they were described as tree-like creatures able to command trees, and lawful in nature.[3]

The treant appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977),[4] where it is described as combining the features of both humans and trees, and dwelling in forests and indistinguishable from trees, and can cause trees to come to life and move.

The treant was detailed in Dragon #79 (November 1983), in the "Ecology of the Treant".[5] The rivertree treant variant appeared in Dragon #108 (April 1986).

This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the treant, in the Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set (1981 & 1983),[6][7] The treant appears as a player character class in Tall Tales of the Wee Folk in the "DM's booklet" (1989). The treant was also later featured in the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991).[8]

The evil treant and the undead treant first appeared for the Ravenloft setting in Monstrous Compendium Ravenloft Appendix (1991). The evil treant (blackroot) first appeared in Monstrous Compendium Ravenloft Appendix II (1993). All of these creatures were reprinted in Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium I & II (1996), and the evil treant (blackroot) also appeared in The Shadow Rift (1996).

The Athasian treant appeared for the Dark Sun setting in Ivory Triangle (1993).

The treant appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008), along with the blackroot treant.[15] The treant reappears in the Monster Vault (2010) along with the bramblewood treant and the treant grove guardian.[16]

Treants are sentient trees with human characteristics. They are typically portrayed as protectors of the forests and antagonists to industrialization and despoiling of nature. They are typically allies of druids and fey, opposing malicious races such as orcs.

^"'Ent' is interesting; Tolkien took the name from an old Anglo-Saxon word for 'giant,' and his treatment of them as sentient trees is inspired. This sort of creature appears in both game systems." Gygax, Gary (March 1985). "On the influence of J.R.R. Tolkien on the D&D and AD&D games". The Dragon (95). pp. 12–13.